Outlinig the City. The History of Trier’s City Walls

24th November 2024 to 6th April 2025

In 2025 the Stadtmuseum Simeonstift is dedicating an exhibition to the long history of the city of Trier’s fortifi cations to mark the 150th anniversary of their demolition. For some 1700 years, they encircled the city, and, by giving it form, were a guardian of its development and a backdrop to residents’ lives.

On the orders of Emperor Marcus Aurelius (161–180), a mighty Roman city wall was erected in 170 AD. It spanned a length of 6.4 kilometres and had four imposing gates. After the demise of the Roman Empire, this ancient wall fell into disrepair. It would be well into the High Middle Ages before new fortifi cations were built, this time under the aegis of the archbishop, but this medieval wall was considerably less formidable in scale and only enclosed about half the area of the former Roman settlement. Over the centuries, wars and exposure to the elements took their toll on the city’s defences and time and again parts of the wall were destroyed, rebuilt, and reinforced. Very little of the city wall has survived intact above ground.

The exhibition opens with remnants of the wall that came to light in 2004 during excavations in the Stadtmuseum’s cellars as part of construction work on the new extension. These unearthed remnants reveal the dovetailing of ancient, medieval, and eary-modern Trier. The exhibition continues by tracing the history of the wall up to its demolition. What made the city so special that it originally required such sturdy protection? Where were its centres? What purpose did the wall have beyond mere defence?

What motivated the city to demolish it once and for all in 1875?
And where can you still see the wall’s remains today? These are
just some of the questions explored by the exhibition, featuring
objects both from the museum’s own collection and select loans.